Alan Wake -- Final Opinion.

I have completed Alan Wake with the full one-thousand points. Alan Wake is a really good game. It does everything well. What's the most important aspect to a survival horror title? Some would argue story. Some would argue combat. Some might even argue music. I would argue the more intangible overall mood. Alan Wake's world of Bright Falls, Washington is wonderfully realized. It's full of detail. They even went as far as to the provide the proper constellations for the region at night. I enjoyed the world they created. Graphically it was impressive. The music takes both the cinematic score and soundtrack approach and it does its job well. The sound effects likewise do their job well and the voice work is entirely top notch. The characters are the real stars of Alan Wake. Not a bad one in the bunch. Especially the character of Barry who just so happens to be Leo Getz. You know, Joe Pesci's character from Lethal Weapon 2 through Lethal Weapon 4. Great characters make you get invested in a story. In the best case scenario you're just as sucked in to the events of the game as the character you're controlling. I really enjoyed Alan Wake's story. It's a good story. A sound story. A straight story. A safe story. And that last thing is part of the overriding issue with Alan Wake. As great as the individual parts may be, Remedy never takes a chance. They play it safe. The overall result is a well made and classy survival horror title. There is nothing wrong with being classy. It just means you know you're safe. To be classy you sort of have to play by the rules. So the more experienced audience members know that they're dealing with someone who isn't going to break the rules. If Silent Hill is trying to scar your psyche, and Condemned is trying to make you shit yourself, and Resident Evil wants to provide tension, then there is room for classy. Of course everything horror is subjective. I'm giving Alan Wake an 8.5.